Automatic leveling device for wheel type ditching machines



J. W. HULSE AUTOMATIC LEVELING DEVICE FOR WHEEL TYPE DITCHING MACHINES Dec. 16, 1952 6 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed July 14, 1948 IN V EN TOR.

/-. TTO R N EYS Dec. 16, 1952 J. w. HULSE 2,621,427

AUTOMATIC LEVELING DEVICE FOR WHEEL TYPE DITCHING MACHINES Filed July 14, 1948 6 Sheets-Sheet 2,

4 m km ATTORNEYS 6 Sheets-Sheet 3 J. W. HULSE AUTOMATIC LEVELING DEVICE FOR WHEEL TYPE DITCHING MACHINES F 2 J i.

Dec. 16, 1952 Filed July 14, 1948 IN VEN TOR.

ATTGRN BY! Dec. 16, 1952 J. w. HULSE AUTOMATIC LEVELING DEVICE FOR WHEEL TYPE DITCHING MACHINES 6 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed July 14, 1948 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 HULSE AUTOMATIC LEVELING DEVICE FOR WHEEL TYPE DITCHING MACHINES V INVENTOR. BY 33W Dec. 16, 1952 Filed July 14, 1948 ATTORNEYS.

Dec. 16, 1952 J. w. HULSE AUTOMATIC LEVEL-INC DEVICE FOR WHEEL TYPE DITCHING MACHINES 6 Sheets-Sheet 6 7 Filed July 14, 1948 wm kw W INVfNTOR.

ATTORNEYS Patented Dec. 16, 1952 AUTOMATIC LEVELING DEVICE FoR WHEEL TYPE mronmqmucnmss John WesIey'HuISe NorthWich; England, assignor "of one-half to W; L. Holland Limited, Preston,

l nd Application July 14, 1948, Serial No. 38,577 In Great Britain July 24, 1947 This invention relates to improvements in auto.- matic leveling device for wheel type ditching machine.

The object of the invention is to provide a machine particularly adapted for agricultural ditching in which the ditch or trench may be formed with an even or level base irrespective .of the contour of the surface of the ground and in which the excavator may operate in'close proximity to a hedge or wall.

According to the invention a mobile ditching machine having a rotary excavator wheel is carried by a frame hydraulically mounted at one side of the machine on a wheeled chassis and at the other side on a skid, means being provided for supplying fluid under pressure to maintain the frame horizontal or at a predetermined inclination to the direction of travel irrespective of the contour of the ground.

The invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of, the machine, certain parts being removed for clearness;

Fig. 2 is a rear elevation of same, parts being omitted for clearness; J

1 Fig. 3 is a plan of same, parts being omitted for clearness;

Fig. 41s a front view,.parts being omittedifcr 16 13 V V Fig. 5 is a diagrammatic view of the hydraulic feed for one of the cylinders;

Fig. 6 is a diagrammatic view; of'the hydraulic return circuit for one of the;cylinder's;:- Fig. '7 is a part front elevationof a'modifica- The machine frame comprises cross'members I carried at one side bysleeves l2sliding on the legs ll of a U-shaped guide rod which legs are supported at their lower ends on} a wheeled chassis 5 and at the opposite side-by sleeves l5 sliding on the legs Id of a U-shaped guide rod which legs are supported at their lower ends on a skid 1 at the forward end of the machine.

The sleeves l2 are aflixed to the cross members I to maintain rigid therewith, and the sleeves l5 are similarly coupled to longitudinal members 8 rigidlyaiiixed to the cross members I by vertical supports 82.. v ,7 r The frame comprising the cross members I and longitudinal members 8 may be raised or-lowered on the rods l I and M by means of hydraulic-cylinders 3 and 8 in which are mounted rams 2 and 2| respectively. The cylinder 3 is rigidly aflixed to the cross members I by links "l2l, the lower end of its ram 2 being mounted on a platform 4 3 Claims. (01. a7 97 supportedgonthe wheeled chassis 5 intermediate the vwheels 5| and 52-7.. The, Cylinder} is rigidly aflixed to the longitudinal -members 8 by links 6|, the lower end of its ram Zl'lbeing mounted on the skid 1." s v e The longitudinal members Bicarryan" excavattor wheel [0 in bearings l3boltedto the. lower members to be capable of rotating thereon; a The wheels 5| and 52 and thevskidl areadapted to travel over the groundto be.excavated',swhile the frame comprising the'membersl a'nd-Bsupporting the excavating wheel I ll 'inay' v be ,..raised or lowered relatively thereto (according I to 5, the depth of ditch or trench to be excavated.

. The weight of the excavating wheelvand Ion.- gitudinal members 8 is suppcrtedat the rear of the machine by a wheel 9 mounted in vertical pillars 9| afiixed toithemembers 8 to-rise and fall withthe frame. The-wheel 9 travelsin/the ditch .or trench behind the" excavator wheel I 0.

- The excavator wheel [0 .is driven throughgeared on the mainframe I, the shaft 17a of this engine having a gear lSa. thereon which meshes with the gearing Hi, this engine also driving-a conveyor belt I8 extending transversely'ofthe main frame, for removing-theexcavated-material, and a pump IQ for supplying'fluid under pressure to the cylinders 3 and 6. Thedrive for the belt I8 is taken from'the gearing l6 butis not shown in the drawing. The' drive for the pump I9 is taken-from the shaft of vthe engineszll as by gearing l9a.

The pump; [9 is operated continuously and sup; plies two circuits one controlling. each? cylinder 3 and 6. The circuits and their controlling valves for the cylinders 3 and "6 are the same,as shown in :Figs, '5 and 16.} :The. circuit for operating; the cylinder 3 on the side remoter-frjom' theexcavator wheel I 0 I is provided with a control -valve'f20 and a relief'valve'23, a by-pass valve not 'shown'being provided for returning 1 oilor: other: 'fiuid from the pump to as-supply' tanks 22:.when the control valve 20 is closed. The control valve 20 'and relief valve 23' are mounted side by' side trans versely of the direction of travel of the machine and intermediate the valves aweighted pendulum rod 24 is suspended from-"a pillar 'i l a an the frame "I; Movementof the pendulum in on'e direction opens the contrcl'valvedll to supply fluid to the cylinder=3 whilst'niovemnt in the reversedirection closes the control valve 20 andopens the relief valve 23.

A similar pendulum 25 operating a control valve 26 also provided with a by-pass valve (not shown) and relief valve 2'! is provided in the circuit supplying the second cylinder 6 which maintains the depth of cut of the excavator wheel [3, the pendulum 25 in this case being arranged to swing fore and aft i. e. in the direction of travel of the machine.

The excavator wheel 10 is formed with a plurality of vanes or buckets 28 adapted to cut and lift the material excavated and shaped to deposit the material sideways onto the travelling conveyor band 18 extending transversely of the machine, from which it is discharged at the end remote from the excavator wheel 10 on to a chute l8! capable of being positioned to deliverinside or outside the wheeled chassis 5. A pivoted lever may be provided in each bucket adapted to engage a cam on the frame as the bucket rises to the level at which the material will be discharged therefrom to loosen the material from the sides of the bucket.

Stationary vertical blades 29 may be provided longitudinally of the frame members 8 at each side of the excavator wheel 10 to clean out the sides of the ditch or trench, any material being detached by these blades falling into the bottom of the ditch or trench and being picked up by one of the buckets 28.

The members 8 may be braced by diagonal stays 8i, and a stay 31 may be provided between one member 8 and a cross member I, and further stays 32 between the upper ends of the guide rods I4 and the forward end of the skid I.

The machine is either towed or drawn through suitable tackle (not shown) by a tractor or the like attached to one of the frame members 8 and may be steered by a rod (not shown) attached to the front wheel 5: of the wheeled chassis 5.

To commence excavating a ditch or trench, the machine is drawn forward slowly, the excavator wheel I 0 is rotated and a downward feed is applied thereto by manually opening the relief valve 21 to the hydraulic cylinder 6 to lower the frame until the required depth of ditch or trench is reached, the frame being maintained horizontal transversely of the machine during this operation by the automatic control of the relief valve 23 acting on the cylinder 3.

The machine is drawn forward by a tractor or a haulage winch and the depth of the ditch or trench is automatically maintained by the control valve 26 and relief valve 21 operated by the pendulum rod swinging fore and aft of the frame which will operate one or the other of the valves to maintain the depth as the skid rises or falls due to any irregularities in the contour of the ground.

The frame continues to be maintained horizontal transversely of the machine through the automatic operation of the valve 29 and relief valve 23 controlled by the pendulum 24. The operation of this pendulum 24 on the valves 23 and 23 allows the main frame comprising the cross members I and longitudinal members 8 to drop horizontally as the excavator wheel 10 descends to the predetermined depth and maintains the main frame horizontal as the wheeled chassis 5 moves forward. If the wheeled chassis 5 encounters a rise or fall in the surface of the ground, the relief or supply valves 29 and 23 to the cylinder 3 are respectively operated by the pendulum to maintain the main frame horizontal.

Where it is desired to cut a ditch or trench having a fall or rise from one end, the control valve 26 operated by the pendulum 25 may be set to open at a predetermined angle of the frame below or above its horizontal position, thereby gradually increasing or decreasing the depth at which'the excavator wheel It! cuts to give for example a one in one hundred rise or fall from one end to the other and of the ditch or trench.

In the modification shown in Fig. 7 the excavator wheel [0 is driven from a power take off on a tractor (not shown) to which the ditching machine is coupled through a shaft 33 iournalled in a bearing 34 mounted on a bracket 35 carried by the platform 4. A bevel pinion 39 is keyed to the shaft 33 and transmits the drive through a second bevel pinion 3'! to a vertical shaft 38 square in cross section.

The upper end of the vertical shaft 38 is capable of sliding in a bevel pinion 39 supported on a bearing 38a on the main frame i. A bevel pinion 40 mounted on ahorizontal shaft M transmits the drive from pinion 39 to the excavator wheel ill. Drives for the pump and conveyor belt may be taken from the horizontal shaft 41.

I claim:

1. A mobile ditching machine, comprising a frame, a rotary excavating wheel carried at one side thereof, hydraulic cylinders mounted on the frame, rams in the hydraulic cylinders, a wheeled chassis having a platform supporting one ofthe rams, a ground engaging member mounted in advance of the excavating wheel and supporting the other ram, a roller mounted on the frame in a position behind the excavating wheel to travel along the bottom of a ditch cut by the excavating wheel, a pair of pendulums on the frame, one pendulum mounted to swing transversely of the machine and operatively connected to one cylinder and the other pendulum mounted to swing fore and aft of the machine and operatively connected to the other cylinder, and valves controlled by the respective pendu'lums for supplying fluid pressure to the respective cylinders to maintain the frame horizontal transversely and to maintain the frame at a predetermined fore and aft inclination to the direction of travel.

2. A mobile ditching machine as defined in claim 1, including vertical sleeves fixed to and carrying said frame, and rods on which the respective sleeves are slidable under control of said hydraulic cylinders and rams.

3. A mobile ditching machine as defined in claim 1, including side blades fixed to said frame at the respective sides of said excavating wheel to trim the sides of the ditch cut by said wheel.

JOHN WESLEY HULSE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 523,790 Hill July 31, 1894 1,522,340 Stading Jan. 6, 1925 2,088,369 Flynn July 27, 1937 2,140,823 Van Voorhis Dec. 20, 1938 2,278,081 Kramer Mar. 31, 1942 2,310,930 Blanchett Feb. 16, 1943 

